Spring bearded needle



July 5, 1966 u. HOFMANN 3,258,938

SPRING BEARDED NEEDLE Filed Feb. 26, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 7a

July 5, 1966 u. HOFMANN 3,258,938

SPRING BEARDED NEEDLE Filed Feb. 26, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 20 q y 5, 1966 u. HOFMANN 3,258,938

SPRING BEARDED NEEDLE Filed Feb. 26, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.5 /In y 1966 u. HOFMANN 3,258,938

SPRING BEARDED NEEDLE Filed Feb. 26, 1964 4 Sheeis-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,258,938 SPRING BEARDED NEEDLE Ulrich Hofmann, Ebingen, Wurttemberg, Germany, assignor to Theodor Groz & Sohne & Ernst Beckert Nadelfabrik K.G., Ebingen, Wurttemberg, Germany Filed Feb. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 347,590 Claims priority, application Germany, Feb. 27, 1963, G 37,156 8 Claims. (Cl. 66-119) This invention relates to a method of knitting textile fabrics and to a needle device for knitting machines producing such fabrics.

For the mechanical production of looped. textile fabrics two main types of machine needles are employed, with which knitted goods, such as stockings and similar very fine fabrics are produced. The first type uses loop sinkers for controlling the thread and for the loop formation, and an upwardly and downwardly movable presser is employed for closing the normally open needle beards which are bent into a hook.

The second type uses latch needles, which became known only much later, but since then have acquired ever greater importance. With these needles the loop formation takes place much more simply, namely exactly in the manner of hand knitting. These needles also have a point bent into a hook, but in addition a latch is pivotably attached to the needle shank, which in turning over forwards places itself upon the hook, to close the latter and thus forms an eye. Each needle is individually movably mounted in a channel. On pushing forward it slips the old loop far over the opened latch, then with its hook takes up the new thread presented by the thread guide, and on withdrawal through the old loop closes the hook, as the old loop turns over the latch. On further withdrawal the old loop drops over the new loop. In comparison to the bearded needles, these knitting machine needles are individually movably arranged. Since the thread and the loops themselves control the latch, neither loop sinkers nor a movable presser are needed.

In recent years, due to the increased output of the machines and the refinement of the knitted fabrics, one has come to the limit of what such knitting machine needles are able to perform. The relatively long distance which the needles must travel in knitting due to the advancing and withdrawing action, and the steepness of the cam rise caused thereby, has put limitations on the knitting speed. More difliculty movable latches cause the formation of streaks in the fabric. Deviations in the back position of the tongue and in the measurement of the hook plus the tongue are important for the stitch size and have the same effect. Due to the fact that the latch must be very easily movable, the danger exists that after the machine has been in operation for a long time it may flutter and not always cover the hook exactly, which can also lead to streaks. Due to the repeated opening and closing of the latch the latter can become warped by impact upon the hook, and knifesharp groove edges may be produced, which can damage the thread. The lateral rubbing of the latch on the knock-over sinkers if the latch or the needles are somewhat bent laterally produces also sharp edges, and is disadvantageous. This is especially important because the thread is used for the control of the latch. The thread sliding over the opened latch in the advancing of the needles and during retraction over the closed tongue has twice to overcome a resistance due to the widening at the spoon portion of the latch, and therefore is easily subjected to damage.

So-called slider needles have in fact already been developed, in which a slider is arranged in place of a latch. For its control additional elements must be provided in "ice the latch. However the slider must have only a fraction of the needle thickness, so that it becomes very delicate, and this solution is therefore fundamentally inapplicable for finer needles. The unavoidable lateral "blow upon this thin and therefore delicate slider, derived from the latch during the advancing and withdrawing action is a further disadvantage.

A relatively long time ago a needle has been proposed which has a control lever located in the groove of the needle body and which engages beneath the needle beard which is closed in the rest position. Such a needle in fact does not possess some of the disadvantages of the latch needles mentioned above. However, the advantages obtained with this needle are not so substantial that one would abandon the above-described latch needles. In fact, they have also the disadvantage that their control lever most be moved by the loop or the thread to be inserted. In view of the rapidity of the knitting operation, these needles do not assure a precise action of the lever due to the stress on the thread, nor accuracy in the insertion of the thread and in the formation of the stitches. The forming of the meshes is not an exactly defined process due to the resiliency of the mesh such as is necessary to assure the chronologically exact opening and closing of the needle beard at the modern increased speeds of the machines.

These requirements regarding accuracy and constant control of the thread are not accomplished by the method and the needle device according to the invention, in that both the opening of the closed heard for the introduction of the new thread, and its closing for holding fast the caught thread, and the formation of the new stitch take place under the action of a control device. The control device can be in the form of a stationary rail along which the needle slides. The needle itself possesses, behind its heard, a lever known per se mounted in a slot of the needle shank and subjected to the act-ion of the control device. It would be conceivable for the control rail to be moved forward or backward for reasons of knitting technique, during the time in which it is not moving the lever. However, in no case may it be movable other than in the longitudinal direction of the needle. A great advantage also resides in the fact that the engagement of the control lever by the control rail takes place in the longitudinal direction of the needle. There is thus no lateral impact upon the lever, such as is exerted by the latch upon the needle butt.

As a result of the exact control it becomes possible to produce by means of technically advanced high-speed machines fabrics having the fine knitted texture obtained with the simple mesh-forming action of the knitting machines. It is significantly advantageous that the movement of the new needle requires only about half of the distance of the corresponding latch needles used hitherto. Thus an increased output of the machine is realized. Moreover the above-described disadvantages are avoided: The thread no longer needs to overcome the resistance encountered over the widening spoon portion of the latch in order to slide over the latch once when the latter is in the opened state and then again when it is in the closed state. Variations in the dimension of the latch return position and in the dimension of the latch plus the hook are not possible any longer, providing thus consistent regularity of the knitted fabric.

Moreover there is no latch which must be aligned with the hook and can cause sharp edges due to the impact upon the hook and a rubbing on the sinkers. Differences in the movement of the latches cannot occur.

The essentials of the invention will be explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the individual advantageous features may be seen, and wherein:

' in relation to'FIGURES 1a and 1b.

' FIGURE 1a shows the front part of the knitting needle designed for carrying out the new method, seen from above,

FIGURE 1!) shows a side view of the needle of FIG- "URE 1a=withthe latch and beard in two positions,

FIGURES 2a and 2b show a modification of the needle in corresponding representation,

FIGURES 3 to 8 show the individual stages of the new method of stitch formation.

* FIGURES 1a, 1b, 2a and 2b are on a'scale of about 25 times natural size.

In the drawings, the needle has a beard 1 bent into a I hook, after the style of spring-bearded needles, which as mounted at 6a control rocking lever 7, the forward part 8 of which-engages beneathv the closed beard, while its rear part 9 extends out of the slot. This end is formed as control surface and also serves as stop for the stitches. The closed needle beard thus presses the control lever 8 into the slot 3, so that the rocking lever disappears completely in the slot on the one side and protrudes with its free end 9 out of the needle shank on the otherside. The rocking lever can be controlled by-a rail 10 (FIGURE 3) fixedly arranged over the needle bed, or in the case of cylinders, by a ring over the cylinder, so that during the forward and return movement of the needle the part 9 of the rocking lever, which in the rest position protrudes out of the slot, is pressed into the slot 3 and released again respectively.

FIGURES 2a and 2b show a modification of the described needle, within the scope of the invention. Here the control member mounted in the slot 3 is a lever mountedunilaterally at 16, the bend 19 of the lever passing downwardthrough a slot. The control lever is guided in a groove 20 situated in the bottom of the needle bed, and islifted on forward movement of the needle by a raised portion at the end of the groove, so that here again the lever end 8 engages beneath the closed needle beard and opens it for the introduction of the thread, and closes it again during the return movement to hold it fast in forming the' stitch. The control action is illustrated in FIGURES 3 to 8, In these figures numeral 10 designates the control rail arranged fixedly over the needle guide andbeneath this rail the needle is moved back and forth.

FIGURE 3 shows the finished stitches 13 in the closed needle tip in the knocking-over position. The rocking lever 7 is here in the rest position. In FIGURE 4 the needle has already moved forward, so that the stitch slides through beneath the beard, which has closed under its own resiliency. Here again the rocking lever 7 is in the rest position.

In FIGURE 5 the needle has already reached the pushout position. The control rocking lever 7 is depressed by the nose 11 of the control rail and opens the needle beard 1 due to the fact that the forward end 8 of the rocking lever lifts the beard from beneath. The thread 12 for the formation of the new stitch is now presented.

In FIGURE 6 the needle is brought back again. Its beard is still held' open by the rocking lever, and the thread 12 has'already been taken up by the beard 1.

In'FIGURE 7 the needle has moved back further, so that the thread 12 is closed in by the beard 1 now closed under its own tension,'after the rocking lever has cleared the path for the closing of the beard before the latter reaches the old stitch.

FIGURE 8 shows the needle again in the retracted position, after the old stitches 13 have been knocked over the newly formed loop 14.

As may be seen from the cross-section of the needle beard as indicated in FIGURES 1a and 20, it is flattened off at the inner surface as that the tip 8 of the control lever can engage efficiently beneath it. However, it may also have a small groove, the edges of which prevent the lever tip 8 from slipping away. When the needle as shown in FIGURES 2a and 2b is used, the operations as shown in FIGURES 3 to 8-ta=ke their course in'a corresponding manner.

What is claimed is: 1. A needle device for knitting textile fabrics comprising in combination a needle having a shank portion carrying a resiliently closing beard at one end, beard operating means movably connected to said shank portion, I 1 said beard operating means having a forward endportion for engaging said beard, guide means mounted adjacent'said needle, said needle being reciprocably movable relative to said guide means from a retracted position into an extended position, and deflecting means on said guide means for actuating said operating-means duringreciprocation of said needle to move saidbeardinto open and closed posi- 'tions. 2. The device according to claim 1 wherein said operating means'has a control lever pivoted on said needle inwardly from said beard, said guide meanshaving a guide surface with raised portion for pivoting said control lever.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein said control lever is mounted in a slot of said needle shank, the forward portion of said lever being disposed underneath said resilient beard.

4. The device according to claim 2 wherein said control lever is pivoted intermediate its ends, said control lever having a rear portion projecting from said slot on the side of said resilient beard for retainingsaid'threads and engaging said guide means.

5. The device according'to clai'm 2, wherein'said'control lever is pivoted at its rear portionysaid lever having a curved intermediateportion projecting from-sa-id slot on the side away from said resilient beard for engaging said guide surface.

6. The device according to -claim 1 wherein said beard has a flat underside.

' 7. The device according-to claim 1, wherein said beard has a groove in its underside opposite said forward end portion of said operating means.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein said beard is in constant engagement with said front portion of said control lever and urges said-control lever'downwardly into said slot of needle'shank.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 169,943 11/1875 Appleton 66119 189,501 r 4/ 1877 Salisbury 66l119 FOREIGN PATENTS 871,344 3/1953 Germany.

10,317 I 7/1915 Great Britain.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Examiner.

R. FELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A NEEDLE DEVICE FOR KNITTING TEXTILE FABRICS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A NEEDLE HAVING A SHANK PORTION CARRYING A RESILIENTLY CLOSING BEARD AT ONE END, BEARD OPERATING MEANS MOVALY CONNECTED TO SAID SHANK PORTION, SAID BEARD OPERATING MEANS HAVING A FORWARD END PORTION FOR ENGAGING SAID BEARD, GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID NEEDLE, SAID NEEDLE BEING RECIPROCABLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID GUIDE MEANS FROM A RETRACTED POSITION INTO AN EXTENDED POSITION, 